


Back to the Beginning

by Kamaleen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Ending, And I ship Thrawn and Vader because why the heck not!, Canon-Typical Violence, I love the Ghost Crews but I just love Thrawn more, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Character Death, Not very Rebels friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 04:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16612295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaleen/pseuds/Kamaleen
Summary: An alternate ending of Star Wars: Rebels season 4. Darth Vader came to save Thrawn from going to the Unknown Region with Ezra. Then everything changed and shifted as Thrawn was there during the peak of the galactic war.





	Back to the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I started reading Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances a few days ago, then I was working on this short fan-fiction instead of sleeping. I don't know what got to me, but suddenly Thrawn is one of my most favourite non-Jedi character in Star Wars.
> 
> Warning: this work has no beta-reader, it is not Rebels friendly, Luke eventually joined Vader but not because he had turned to the dark side. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

'Relief' was a strange sensation for Thrawn. He hardly had a reason to feel 'relieved'. Everything usually went as he had anticipated, or at least end in one of many possibility he had thought of. However, Bridger's ability to control a herd of such animals wasn't in one of them.

As they prepared to take off, as Thrawn's mind started working on all possible outcomes of the situation, help had come in a form of swirling black and red.

It's Vader.

Thrawn hadn't anticipated the help either. The last time he checked, the Sith should be somewhere very far away from Lothal. However, somehow he was here, and he just saved Thrawn from an unwanted journey to the Unknown Legion.

And now, as Thrawn watched the city Bridger loved so much turned to ashes, he felt relieved.

The Chiss turned toward the Sith. Vader just stood there without saying a word. He hadn't said anything since he freed Thrawn from the creature's grasp, took him off the  _Chimera_ , and into his Star Destroyer.

He was waiting for something, and Thrawn knew what it was.

"Lord Vader," he started. Vader turned his head slightly, an indication that he was listening. "Thank you for saving me. I am in your debt."

"This will be your last mistake, Grand Admiral." Vader turned his head back.

"Yes, Lord Vader," Thrawn said. "My deepest gratitude."

The Star Destroyer lingered a little as it bombarded the city of Lothal. Thrawn watched the show went on. If his situation was difference, he would never bombarded the whole place to pieces. That would be the waste of possible resources.

However, right now Thrawn wanted this place turned to ashes. He wanted Bridger to see that he had failed to save his city and its people before he took off to the Unknown Regions. Thrawn wanted him to know that his sacrifice wouldn't prevent the destruction of his homeworld. That he had archived only abandoning his people. And that he should have listened to Thrawn and truly surrendered.

Thrawn could image how frustrated and angry Bridger would be. The Chiss rarely took pleasure in the suffering of others, yet this time it made him smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

Vader found this situation very interesting.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was in the same room with him, standing behind him but not too far away. Vader had his back turned toward Thrawn, yet he was watching the Chiss closely with the Force.

Thrawn was always a mystery to him. The Chiss' mind was unlike anything Vader had seen. It was well organised, but almost impossible to read. It's like staring at series of numbers carefully constructed, same as those seen in machines and software. However, there was an opaque wall between him and those series. The wall that kept Vader from reading into Thrawn's mind.

But right now those wall had a small opening, a small crack. It was healing, but not fast enough. And Vader was thrilled to sense the very first emotions from Thrawn.

The Chiss was relieved and angry. Mostly at himself for being careless, and some at Bridger. Vader also felt the satisfaction radiating out from that small crack. Thrawn was happy to see Bridger's hometown destroyed. He was happy that Bridger would be suffering. Vader almost smiled.

It didn't take long to turn Lothal into nothing. The people and the city were no more. The Empire would take over Lothal shortly. The Empire still had plans to setup a lot of factories here. Local workers might be hard to find, but they would manage. Also, it's not like the Empire couldn't import workers from other places.

"Lord Vader," Thrawn approached him as the Star Destroyer slowly descended to the sky. "May I speak to you in private?"

Vader wanted to refuse. But Thraw's mental wall had mended itself and there was nothing for him to read, unless he managed to make a crack on that wall again.

So, going out of his way to be this nice, Vader turned and leaded Thrawn away from the command bridge. He walked until they were in an empty corridor, then he stopped.

"Speak," he ordered, turning back to face Thrawn. "I do not have time nor patience."

"How do you know that I might be in an…unappreciated situation?" Thrawn asked. "Or did the Emperor predict that this all would happen?"

"No," Vader answered. "I sensed your disturbance. Make no mistake, Grand Admiral. I came to your aid because you are still important to the Empire. But do not assume that the Empire will always need you."

Thrawn's eyes subtly widened. Vader almost missed it.

"I would not dare," Thrawn said. "I am grateful that you came."

"You have already said that," Vader pointed out. Thrawn offered him a polite smile. His voice smoothened. It reminded Vader of all those years ago. When they were on Batuu.

Thrawn hummed his agreement. "So, where are we going next, my lord?"

Vader liked how Thrawn said 'my lord'. It was almost the same as before, but he could feel some shifts in the tone. And he liked it.

 

 

Vader stared out of the window in one of the tallest building of Naboo. He had never liked it here, too noisy and too much stories. Too many memory. Too many distraction. Yet, after the destruction of the Deathstar and finding out that the young Jedi was his son, Vader felt like coming here. Coming back to memories, to the past.

"Lord Vader."

A cool voice called from behind. Vader didn't need to turn to see who was behind him. He had sensed Thrawn since the Chiss stepped into the same building as him.

"Grand Admiral."

Vader acknowledged as the other man stepped up to stand beside him. So far, Thrawn was the only one who could push the boundaries between them and not got force-choked. Vader hated to admit it, but he did find Thrawn interesting. Maybe because Thrawn knew him better than anyone, maybe even more than his Master.

"There is a young Jedi, Luke Skywalker," Thrawn said. "You must have heard about him."

"I have," Vader answered. It came out short and cold. He moved his hand to his belt, ready to gripe on his lightsaber. Yet, Thrawn's posture remained the same. He had never been intimidated by Vader's show of power, he never was. His mind also remained the same, a calculator behind veils of mist.

"The Emperor might have plans for him and you, but I highly doubt that you will approve," Thrawn said. "Do you wish my interference?"

Vader turned to look at him. Really looking at him.

"It will be considered treason," he said. Yet, it felt empty even to his own ear. Vader had been doubting his loyal toward his Master after Boba Fett gave him the name. Luke Skywalker. His son. His only son.

"Not if I am serving you," Thrawn replied. His posture was as calm as ever. "You do not like idea of destroying your own blood. Me neither. I will help you."

Vader was silent for several seconds. Thrawn had somehow read his mind.

"War is an impressive production," Thrawn said. "It is one kind of arts. However, there is another type of art that I prefer more."

"What is it?"

"I prefer merging two and two together, to see the fullest potential be achieved," Thrawn said. "The Rebels might be pests, but if we crush their spirits, we will have their resources." The Chiss looked at him. "And you will have your son."

"Are you suggesting that we negotiate with them?" Vader put a hand on his lightsaber. "This is too far, Grand Admiral."

"I am not," Thrawn said. His voice was calm. His postured unchanged. "I merely suggest that we destroy their wills to fight, not crushing everything they have."

Vader disagreed. And he was about to tell Thrawn how wrong the Grand Admiral was when Thrawn continued. "And your son might come to you willingly."

"I do not need his cooperation."

"You do."

Vader stared at Thrawn, furious and bewildered at the Chiss' boldness. He wanted to Force-choked Thrawn, wanted to show the Chiss how wrong he was to challenge him. He wanted to throw Thrawn off the building, watching the Grand Admiral crumbled to pieces would be satisfying. Yet, he did none of that.

Thrawn knew what he truly wanted. And the Chiss would always have his way around.

"It is of our best interest," Thrawn smiled. A rare smile. A smile that said 'I'm happy you're listening'. "I will see you soon, my lord."

With that, the Chiss walked away. Vader watched him go. His mind was raging with anger and something akin to hope.

 

 

After the destruction of the Death Star, without Grand Moff Tarkin, the Imperial relied heavily on Thrawn to lead the Imperial forces. And he leaded well. Vader would never admit that he agreed Thrawn was the best leader the Imperial could have asked for, but Thrawn seemed to know that too. The Chiss kept saying that he was proud to have Vader's trust, which annoyed Vader to no end. Nevertheless, he truly trusted Thrawn. And Thrawn had never let him down.

It took years, but they had crushed the Rebels. Now, standing on the second Deathstar, Vader turned to face Thrawn and Luke. Everything went as Thrawn had predicted. The Emperor would want him and his son to fight. But in the end, Vader broke free. He was now free.

Luke stood in front of him. Unharmed. A light among the dark. Thrawn stepped forward, turning so he stood with his side to both Vader and Luke.

"The Emperor is dead," the Chiss announced. "As you have planned." He gave the credit to Vader, even though it was all Thrawn's work.

Luke looked between both of them. Puzzled by their conversation. "You've planned all of this?"

Vader did not answer. He looked at Thrawn, and Thrawn glanced toward the throne.

"Your highness?" Thrawn titled his head. He was letting Vader took everything he had worked for. No, sitting on the throne was not Thrawn's ultimate goal. His goal was to get back to his people and save them from whatever threat they were facing.

Vader didn't want Thrawn to go.

"No," he stated and extended his hand toward the throne. A gesture that Thrawn should sit on it. "Chancellor."

Thrawn's eyes widened. No one spoke for a couple of minutes. Luke looked between them, worried. In the end, Thrawn let out a small smile.

The Chiss sat on the throne. Vader moved to stand beside him.

 

 

Thrawn did not kill all of the Rebels. He offered a peaceful negotiation and the losing Rebels reluctantly accepted. Vader was looming behind Thrawn's shoulder all the time, ready to kill if Thrawn wished him to. Thrawn didn't see him as a subordinate, more as an equal. Vader liked that.

Thrawn's plan was to stop the war. He would let the Rebels and the home planet left the Empire, as long as they remained at least neutral to each other. And with Luke, who had decided to stay with his father, helped persuading the remained Rebels leader, everything went as planned.

Of course, there were some Rebels who still held a grudge against Thrawn. Vader observed them closely during the long meeting. Thrawn had asked him not to act unless those Rebels didn't listen to warning. And Vader was happy that one of them decided to misbehave. It was a show of the Empire's force.

After dealing with the Rebels and the aftermath of the war had passed, Thrawn contacted his people. He let the Chiss Ascendancy knew that the Empire was now their ally. His friend, Eli Vanto, came back for a visit, along with several Chiss. A trade route between them was established, along with several pacts to ensure the steady relationship between them.

It took a long while to deal with everything. However, in the end, everything settled down. Luke had stayed with them, to learn about the Force and to try nudging his father back to the light as much as possible. The Rebel was now the New Republic. And the Chiss was free to come and go. The chaos had finally ended.

 

 

"What do you think of this?" Thrawn asked as he stood in front of a large painting. Vader looked at it, titling his head slightly. He saw a planet and two ships. A regular scene one could see all over the galaxy.

"A piece of artwork," he replied. His voice echoed in Thrawn's gallery. It was just two of them here, liked always. "What do you think of it?" Vader asked back.

"I'm not sure," Thrawn said. "It is something I have been working on for a while now."

Vader stiffened at what Thrawn said. He had read about the Chiss' culture, but wasn't sure if he was reading the situation right.

Thrawn turned to face him. He was as calm and collected as ever. "It is nearly finished, but I want your opinion on a finishing touch."

Showing someone their nearly finished art and asked their suggestion for the finishing touch, in Chiss' culture, was one of how Chiss proposed. This was a marriage proposal. Thrawn was asking Vader to marry him. And if Vader gave him a suggestion, it meant he said yes.

Vader turned to look at the painting again. He didn't pay much attention to what he was seeing, but now he did. And he realized that it wasn't just any planet. It was Batuu. And the ships were familiar. One was his Eta-2  _Actis_  – class Interceptor fighter with its hyperdrive docking ring. Another one was Thrawn's freighter when he was still a Chiss commander.

Thrawn had drawn the first time they met. Batuu connected everything together. Anakin Skywalker met Mitth'raw'nuruodo here. Several years later, they came back to Batuu again as Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn.

"Do you wish to visit this place again?" Thrawn asked. His voice calm. His eyes had never left Vader.

Suddenly, Vader wondered how they would kiss. He thought about it for several seconds, then decided that he would invite the Chiss to visit him during his meditation. However, for that to occur, he must decide that he would say yes or not.

Vader thought what his answer would be and each outcome of them. He thought about the changes in their relationship. It was subtle, but constant. Then, he found that he did not care about what the future may hold.

"You should add more yellow on the  _Actis_ ," Vader said.

Thrawn smiled. His glowing red eyes brightened up even more. Then, the Chiss provided a paint brush out of nowhere, along with the colours he used for painting. And he quickly got to work.

The picture was finished in a minute later. Thrawn stepped back to admire his work.

"Perfect," the Chiss said. He turned to look at Vader. "Do you agree?" Thrawn asked. Vader knew the Chiss wasn't talking about the painting.

"I agree," Vader replied. He didn't mean the painting either.

 

 


End file.
